Hundreds
of the world's leading foot-and-mouth experts have been hearing how
the Government considered vaccinating Devon's cattle against the disease.
The rural affairs minister Margaret Beckett has defended the way the
outbreak was handled at a huge conference being held in Brussels.
But the European commissioner on animal health has said the way of
tackling foot-and-mouth disease in future must change.
David Byrne said more thought must be given to using vaccination to
contain the infection.
Around 300 officials from across Europe struggled to agree a way to
combat future outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, battling over the
issue of whether to vaccinate or cull animals.
 |
|
The
Army was called in to help disinfect farms in hotspot areas
such as Devon
|
Britain's caution
over using emergency vaccination and a debate over whether immunised
livestock or meat products would be saleable dogged the debate, which
many said needed to be resolved quickly, before the next outbreak
began.
"There is a consensus that we need to look at the possibilities of
vaccination in circumstances when there is a crisis and whether we
can put a firewall against the further spread of the disease," David
Byrne, EU health commissioner, told reporters at the conference.
"The issue is whether, after emergency vaccination, the animals will
be slaughtered or do you have a protective vaccination which will
allow the animals to remain alive," he said.
Europe favours slaughter to eradicate foot-and-mouth, to ensure it
keeps its disease-free status and export markets, but states can apply
for powers to use emergency vaccination.
Public opinion across Europe swiftly turned against Britain's strict
policy of slaughtering healthy animals which neighboured infected
farms or were believed to be at risk from the disease.
PUBLIC FAVOURS VACCINATION
Other countries, fearful of public opinion, said they could not employ
a mass cull - a policy which the Netherlands refused to use against
its outbreak.
"The mass slaughter of healthy animals led to public outrage and I
take this very seriously," said Laurens Jan Brinkhorst, the Dutch
minister of agriculture.
He questioned whether the EU's current policy - to aim for disease-free
status without vaccination - was correct.
"I believe the road we are on now leads to a dead end," he said. This
might not, for the future, be the best device."
French officials agreed, saying they would have preferred to vaccinate
if their outbreak, which was limited earlier this year by preventive
slaughter, had been larger.
But others questioned whether consumers would buy vaccinated meat,
whether farmers would co-operate and what would happen to animal exports
if the policy changed.
"It is this issue of trade which agitates people," Byrne said, adding
that he hoped the European Union would agree on a new disease strategy
by mid-2003.
Britain, where almost four million animals have been culled since
the disease was uncovered in late February, said vaccination could
allow foot-and-mouth to become endemic once more in Europe, killing
off markets.
Margaret Beckett, minister for environment, food and rural affairs,
said there had to be a validated test, to distinguish between immunised
and infected animals, before vaccination could be introduced.
"The absence of a test makes it impossible to judge if an outbreak
has been halted or is spreading," she said.
CALLS
FOR BEEF COMPENSATION
The Government today welcomed the European Court of Justice's judgement
that France was guilty of breaching EU law by refusing to import British
beef.
Junior Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Elliot Morley
told the Commons that daily fines could now be imposed if France did
not comply.
He promised "support and advice" to British firms and farmers who
wished to pursue compensation claims.
Mr Morley said: "We did expect it because we always argued that the
French position was illegal.
"The dispute was between the French Government and the European Commission
because the French Government was going against the rules of the community."
At question time, he said: "The court does have powers to impose such
things as a daily fine on the French Government if they do not comply
and I'm sure they will consider that."
Mr Morley said the Government did not have a statutory means of demanding
compensation. "There may well be UK companies and firms who wish to
pursue compensation. That is a matter for them. But I can say we will
give support and advice and any assistance, if they want to do that."
The judges confirmed that EU governments are bound to implement legally
binding agreements between member states - in this case to resume
British beef exports after the trade blockade imposed to prevent the
spread of BSE.
South West Tory MEP Neil Parish has said Devon farmers have suffered
enough and should get compensation from the French government.
"We must now make sure that France cannot play these games any longer",
he said.
"We have to hit the French in the pocket, and those heavy fines should
go straight to our farmers. We must have swingeing daily fines, which
should be ratcheted up the longer that France prevaricates."
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Real
Player is required for any video and audio on this page.